England will face Australia in the last match of the ongoing T20i series at Old Trafford on 15th September
Match Preview:
After Australia clinched victory in the 1st T20i of the series by 28 runs, it was the home side who clinched a stunning victory in the 2nd T20i, setting a decider as the series is now evenly poised.
Batting first, Australia put up a great show with the bat after Marsh was rested because he was unwell. The stand-in skipper Travis Head played a good knock with the bat but couldn’t win the game as a skipper.
Australia put up a total of 193 on board. While Australia lost the game, there were few positives for the side in the name of Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Short scored 28 runs and later combined it with five-wicket haul meanwhile Jake who was under the radar of criticism scored a crucial knock of 51 off 31.
In the bowling, the men in yellow lost the services of Xavier Bartlet, who was ruled out of the series due to side strain. Sean Abbott took two wickets as well. But now the Kangaroos will look to work on their bowling and middle order in order to win this ongoing series.
Talking about the home side, the skipper must be proud of the team effort especially Liam Livingstone. Liam was on song during the second game of the series as after two wickets with the ball, he smacked a match-winning knock of 87 runs off just 47. The all-rounder is in form of his life as he clobbered six boundaries and five sixes during this great knock.
England also sat out Jofra Archer for the second match in order to manage his workload. The stand-in skipper Phil Salt played a decent knock of 39 off 23 balls. Sam Curran couldn’t perform up to mark, Adil Rasheed was good, and Jacob Bethell played a fine knock of 44 off 24.
The last time both of the sides met in a T20 series was in 2022-23 where England clinched the series 2-0. Australia, for sure, will look to avenge now.
Pitch and weather report:
The pitch of Old-Trafford usually suits batters and is known as a batting paradise. A high-scoring match is expected as the sides keep the players who can hit big and great hits. A team who will win the toss should look to bat first and post a mammoth and daring total on the board.
Head-to-head record:
Both of the side met each other in the T20 format for 26 times and their tally stands equal as of now, 12 games have been won by the side. Whoever wins on 15th, will lead in the head-to-head record.
Predictions:
Although England made a laudable comeback in the series, Australia are still favourites to win this series as they are known for a side who knows how to claw back.
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
England: Sky Sports Network.
Australia: Amazon Prime
India: Star Sports Network
Others: CricHD
